Diversions Manifold

I'm a pretty good sketcher of words and ideas, but a terrible completer of posts: making sure that the ideas make sense and connect properly, trying to get the wording and the feel right, trying to draw conclusions and lessons from whatever experiences or thoughts I am trying to describe; sometimes even deciding which service to post things on (a ridiculous situation, in all honesty) - that's all hard work, and sometimes I just don't feel that I have the energy to complete it. As a result, my pool of drafts begins to overflow and prevents me from really finishing. So, in the spirit of draining the pool and refreshing my perspectives, here's a dump of my most current drafts, cross-posted on Blogger and on my Micro.blog instance! Rethinking which services I should keep, and why, is something for another day. A review of Umberto Eco's The Island of the Day Before created 2023-09-06 This is a most typically Umberto Eco book, of an unknown, uncertain narrator reconstru

Well, the pun will: this enjoyable concert with the Bachchor Heidelberg last night, singing the Weihnachtsoratorio (Christmas Oratorio), or - to give it its full name - the   Oratorium in Festum Nativitatis Christi   from   C.H. Graun , was simply a delight. It's a charming piece dotted with not too challenging yet still interesting chorales and fugues for the choir, amongst the usual mix of arias and recitatives from the soloists telling and reflecting on the nativity story. Our conductor for this concert was  Jörg Halubek , whose website and photos make him look grander and more arrogant than he actually is. All in all, a light, happy concert bringing good cheer, if at least temporarily, for those who had to drive out of a packed centre of Heidelberg.

Back in February I posted about the challenges of being between jobs . Now, following a sequence of online first and in-person second interviews and a remarkably tough choice between two very different offers from very different companies, I'm just a few days (including a bank-holiday weekend) from starting my new job at Pepperl+Fuchs . It's an exciting prospect, producing an intriguing mix of thoughts, feelings and excitement that I would like to just briefly reflect on here. On a purely practical level, the nerdy part of me is most interested in the commute. I'm genuine in wanting to continue to avoid using the car to get to work, having commuted by bike for much of my career. Cycling directly to work is alas no longer a regular option. I tried the ride the other day, and it took me an hour and a half to get there. The route along the river is actually quite pleasant, but while I'm sure I'll be able to improve the timing, it's still long. My main mode for the

The last day at work before the holidays back in December 2022 was also my last day of work at the company that employed me. Officially, I'm on gardening leave, so still on the payroll (though magically off headcount), until the end of March. The justification for letting me go was the increasingly common one of needing to reduce overheads to try and return the business to at least a vaguely profitable level in Europe. Similarly to Ford's announcement in Europe , expertise (residing in just a few, but perhaps expensive, engineers) is being retrenched into other regions. I won't write more on company politics and strategies, as I'm not at liberty to do so, but I can talk about how it affects me. Nebulous ahead Quite clearly, I can't see clearly yet where my future lies. If I'm to stay in the region, which is what we as a family all want, then it's unlikely that I'll stay in the automotive industry: this feels like a blessing, and matches my own burgeoning